[Vision2020] State of the University of Idaho

[Ron Force]

I wonder where the critics have been? Nellis took over in 2009 at the depth of the country's worst recession since the 30s. He had to cope with a 25% reduction in state appropriations over three years. And the present state leadership? has indicated that the reduction in funding is the "new normal". The bold visions put forth by Hoover & Co. are not likely to be realized. Like all visionary leaders, Hoover thought that by providing excellence, more state resources would be forthcoming. He greatly overestimated the vision of Idaho's political leadership. Small and smaller (or dumb and dumber) is now the word from Boise (except for football, of course).

I sat though enough briefings on the Boise project to understand how it was going to work. Hoover was right that UI's future depended on diversifying political support outside Latah County, and he tried to cultivate state support by placing programs in strategic locations, particularly Boise. However, the funding for the three buildings in the Boise Center was essentially a real-estate play. Commercial development in the blocks West of the center was supposed to pay for the project. When the Boise commercial real-estate market collapsed in 2001-2 the funding for the academic buildings went with it, leading to the events that sunk the Hoover administration. The developers walked away with their cut, and the University was left holding the bag.

It was really in trouble before that, in that the role that the UI was going to play in Boise was never actually worked out. The Deans were being urged to come up with programs for Boise, but could never identify unique academic needs that only UI could fill. Law, sure, but at that time the ABA wasn't approving branch programs and moving the whole program to Boise wasn't economically or politically feasible. The Boise market was mostly frosh-sophomore general ed, or mature, place-bound students who wanted part-time courses. BSU had that market cornered. The Board of Education wasn't going to allow duplication of basic education programs, so where the students were going to come from to fill four buildings was never clear.
 
Ron Force
Moscow Idaho USA


________________________________
 From: Carl Westberg <idahovandal1 at live.com>
To: vision2020 at moscow.com 
Sent: Friday, August 17, 2012 12:09 PM
Subject: [Vision2020] State of the University of Idaho
 

 
I wanted to share these thoughts from a U of I alum in Boise, posted on Vandal Venue, regarding the current state of the University of Idaho.  While the immediate subject is athletics, the post is about far more than that.  He writes of an overall ennui surrounding the entire institution.  He gave permission for me to cut and paste.  I think he has some interesting thoughts.  In quotes, his post.....

"Those are interesting observations, and they seem to be consistent with what I sense is going on at the U of I.  
Nellis seems to be more of a caretaker president than one who is 
seriously pushing forward on anything.  I understand I only see a very 
small snapshot of what is actually going on up there, but if that’s the 
snapshot I’m seeing it says something about the perception the school is getting down here."

"The “autopilot” characterization of the 
university is spot-on to me.  Not going anywhere.  Stayed.  Static.  
Unchanging.  I feel like the U of I has been on autopilot for a decade 
or more, and in the meantime it has substantially eroded its mantle and 
role in higher education in this state.  We have gone from being the 
undisputed leader to alarming irrelevance.  We are letting others 
control the discussion of what our school is and what it means to the 
state.  We are declining to show up for our own defense."

"I 
think another poster said awhile ago that the biggest tragedy about University 
Place was that it didn’t get finished.  As much as the whole University 
Place caused havoc for the school (from which the school has not yet 
recovered and may not ever), the vision was right while the execution 
was wrong.  Hoover understood that if we didn’t grow we would die.  He 
understood that the new battle for higher education relevance in Idaho 
was taking place in the Treasure Valley.  He understood that if we 
didn’t make the school prominent here we would lose exposure, then 
relevance, and then the school as we knew it.  And that’s exactly what 
is happening.  Ever since the project got halted and the U of I was 
crucified in the media for the financial aspects of it we have lost any 
semblance of leadership at the school that actually wants to move the U 
of I forward."  

 
"The biggest reason why this has happened 
over the last 10 years is that the culture of the school has just given 
up.  There is no push from the base to move things forward, so the 
administration feels just fine not doing anything.  Those of us who post
 on these message boards are not the true representatives of the Vandal 
base.  No, the true representative of the Vandal base doesn’t really 
think much about Vandal football or athletics or even what is going on 
in Moscow anymore.  They live their lives, go about their daily affairs,
 and don’t really care about what is happening to the old alma mater.  
The base isn’t so much asleep as it has become the living extinct."
 
"There
 is no push from the base, so there is no push from the leadership.  The
 base doesn’t care, so the leadership doesn’t act.  The battle is raging
 and our school is essentially not participating.  There is no 
inspiration anymore."          End of his post......  



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